Embattled Ekurhuleni mayor remains in office (for now)
Embattled Ekurhuleni Mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana was back in his office on Wednesday.
Ngodwana lived to fight another day as a council meeting to table a no-confidence motion against him was adjourned on Tuesday evening.
ActionSA sponsored the motion, which several parties, including the ANC, DA and Freedom Front Plus, endorsed.
However, the council speaker adjourned the sitting to seek legal opinion after the ANC and the DA amended their submissions.
ANC council chief whip, Jongiziwe Dlabathi, said they are not happy with the adjournment.
"We’re not happy with the manner in which the situation has been handled. We think it’s abrupt, and it did not allow for any debate in council to the extent that the sponsor of the motion was able to give their own feedback for the Speaker to make a final determination".
Meanwhile, the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) tabled the city's audit report on Tuesday.
Ekurhuleni was granted an unqualified audit opinion for the first time in three years.
Dlabathi said the regression from a clean audit in 2021/22 to an unqualified audit opinion in 2022/23 is mainly due to non-compliance with the supply chain management policies.
"The disappointing audit outcome signals a lapse in the internal controls that were maturing and subsequently producing the back-to-back clean audit during the ANC-led City of Ekurhuleni. Furthermore, this confirms our observation about the sudden lack of prudent political oversight on matters of finance and supply chain management.”
In a statement released by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the city, it said the AGSA's report has given certain political groups a platform to make baseless allegations.
'These allegations suggested that the city had neglected to submit its financial statements and concealed the Auditor-General’s findings from the public,” the party said.
"The EFF has consistently maintained that the City adhered to its obligations by timely submitting its financial statements, emphasising that the Auditor-General's Report is accessible to the public and beyond the manipulation of any political entity.”
The EFF holds the finance portfolio in the City of Ekurhuleni.
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